AL East

The Rays' bullpen hasn't been what most would call reliable in the early going of the 2010 Major League Baseball season.

However, it appears that Rays pitcher Matt Garza has found the remedy for their troubles.

Don't let them pitch much.

For the second time in as many games, Garza relegated bullpen appearances to one inning of Rafael Soriano. Both games featured Garza pitching eight innings in a dominant fashion. Garza only gave up one earned run in each performance.

Here are some pictures tweeted by MLB of the World Series ring that the New York Yankees received today as part of their Opening Day ceremonies in the Bronx.

This is George Steinbrenner's ring. In the past his ring has been slightly different, usually bigger, than the rings they hand out to all of the players. I’m not sure if that is the case this year. This is also the first time that the ring is made out of white—not yellow—gold.

What do you think? I like it. I think it’s one of the better rings they’ve given out in recent history.

The Yankees opened the 2010 season by playing their most hated rivals, the Boston Red Sox, on the road to start the year.

The Yankees won two of the three games to win the first series against Boston, a major confidence booster.

After Boston, the Yankees traveled to play another tough AL East division rival in the Tampa Bay Rays.

The first game went poorly for Javier Vazquez, and the Yankees took a 9-3 loss.

Joe West is regularly one of my least favorite umpires. He’s like that teacher you had in school who is ridiculously strict about everything you do, but cannot do those same things himself.

West complains about long game times, and then calls the Sox-Yankees game “pathetic and embarrassing,” going on to say that they were “a disgrace to baseball.”

Laugh with me.

Red Sox and Yankees are a disgrace to baseball? OK. So the two best teams in the league are what’s disgracing it?

If you were a Yankee fan watching this game, chances are you didn’t move for a good two or three innings while C.C. Sabathia put together a great rebound performance after his shaky first start against Boston.

Actually "great" is probably an understatement, since he went 7.2 innings before allowing a single to Kelly Shoppach (who is now forever hated by Yankee fans). Sabathia only struck out five, but was absolutely dominant the whole time he was in the game.

Update : With two outs in the eighth inning, Sabathia lost his no-hit bid on a base hit to left field by Tampa catcher Kelly Shoppach.

I know some people might blast me for posting this, but I’m not overly superstitious and I know that nothing I do here in New York is going to change anything going on in Tampa.

CC Sabathia is on the mound for the Yankees fifth game of the season today. It is a spot where the Yankees could have gone with their fifth starter, but instead left him, Phil Hughes, down in Tampa to participate in extended spring training.

Well last night’s game was a debacle, but the Yankees have their ace, CC Sabathia (0-0, 8.44 ERA), out there today trying to right the ship against rookie RHP Wade Davis (0-0, no ERA) and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Sabathia was strong in his last start until he fell apart in the sixth inning giving up three runs on two hits and a walk before he was pulled. The Yankees are hoping that his stamina improves today. Here are some Yankee notes:

In baseball, the umpires are looked upon to make the tough calls. They know many of their decisions will be hated by some and loved by others. So for Joe West, a seasoned ump with 32 years of major league experience, his latest decision should have been a no-brainer.

He should have kept his mouth shut.

I was watching the Baltimore Orioles vs. Tampa Bay Rays game on Thursday night and when Orioles’ closer Mike Gonzalez loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, it looked like manager Dave Trembley was going to throw up in his mouth.

I could only imagine what Trembley was thinking or how he was feeling when Gonzalez blew his second save in three chances yesterday against the Toronto Blue Jays. I know it’s only four games into the season, but Trembley has to be already losing patience with Gonzalez.